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Melissa Gentile
Melissa “Skeeter” Gentile (pronounced gin-TIL-ee) completed her fifth year as the head coach of the EMU softball team in 2018.
In her last season leading the Green and White, Gentile saw EMU’s pitching staff reach new heights, while Haley Hostetler, Amanda Akles, Angel Schilke, and Olivia Logan left their marks in the record book.
Veterans Trisha Trujillo and Nicolle Miranda led EMU’s pitching staff in 2018. Trujillo, who appeared in the second-most games in program history during her time in Ypsilanti, put together a career year in the circle. The Whittier, Calif. native struck out 82 in 117.0 innings of work, both of which were career-highs. Her strikeout mark was not only nearly double her previous best, but ranked 12th in the Mid-American Conference. Meanwhile, Miranda also set a career-high in K’s with 86, and ranked 11th in the conference. Collectively, the duo and freshman Kiara Hurley combined for 196 strikeouts, the 10th-most in EMU history and the Eagles’ highest total since 2014, as well as the eighth-most saves in program history.
Akles, a Second Team All-MAC selection and two-time MAC West Division Player of the Week honoree was Eastern Michigan’s top offensive threat. She finished with nine home runs, the eighth-most in single-season history as well as in the conference. In addition to improving her batting average by more than 100 points, Akles’ healthy .358 mark ranked best on the team and 13th in the league. She also finished the season ranked in the MAC in several categories, including; fifth in slugging percentage, tied for fifth in doubles, eighth in home runs, tied for 13th in total bases, 13th in batting average, 15th in on-base percentage, and 15th in runs batted in. Akles was even better in the conference-only rankings, as she was slotted tied for second in home runs, third in slugging percentage, tied for sixth in walks, sixth in on-base percentage, tied for eighth in total bases, tied for 12th in RBIs, and 13th in batting average.
Schilke, EMU’s leader in walks, paced an Eastern squad that drew the seventh-most free passes in program history. Additionally, Schilke and Hostetler finished the season with perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in MAC-only games. Hostetler also finished her career as the program record holder in games played (201), games started (200), and stolen base percentage (25-of-27). Finally, Logan wrapped up her time in Ypsilanti with the sixth-most putouts (778) in program history, while her .988 career fielding percentage tied for third-best in EMU laurels.
The 2017 season saw Gentile coach Michelle Kriegshauser to Second Team All-MAC and Third Team All-Great Lakes Region honors. Overall, Eastern finished the season with a 17-34 overall record.
Gentile coached EMU to one of its best campaign’s since 2011 in 2016. The Green and White saw three players honored by the Mid-American Conference following the conclusion of the season as Michelle Kriegshauser, Aoife Duffy, and Amanda Akles were recognized. Kriegshauser garnered All-MAC honors for the third consecutive season, this time landing on the first team while Duffy reeled in the first postseason honors of her career as a second team awardwinner. Akles became the fourth player in program history to earn a spot on the MAC All-Freshmen Team, and the first since Kriegshauser did so in 2013. Additionally, Gentile coached Kriegshauser to an All-Region worthy season, as the junior outfielder was named to the NFCA All-Great Lakes Region Second Team, becoming the first Eagle to claim the honor since 2008. As a team, the Eagles pieced together one of the best offensive seasons in EMU history. The Green and White scored 203 runs, the second-most in Eastern Michigan history, and pounded out 69 doubles, the most since 2007. In the circle, the Eagles’ pitching staff posted the team’s best ERA since 2012 while each hurler set career-high’s in strikeouts. EMU’s on-the- field success carried over to the classroom where the Green and White set a program record with 12 Academic All-MAC selections. The 12 honorees also ranked as the most in the conference.
In 2015, Gentile saw her squad improve their overall record by five wins from the season before while the Eagles placed three on the All-Mid-American Conference second team. Abi Clark, Michelle Kriegshauser and Taylor Wagner each garnered the accolade for the first time in their careers. Not only did the Green and White see individual success, but as a team EMU broke the single season home run record after launching the ball over the fence on 41 occasions. In addition, the 2015 roster recorded the second-most hits all-time with 366, while it added 181 runs batted in, good for the fourth-best in school history. Academically, Gentile’s squad put eight student-athletes on the Academic All-MAC squad, while she added Abby Davidson and Kriegshauser to the MAC’s prestigious Distinguished Scholar Athlete list.
In Gentile's first year as head coach, the Eagles had one Mid-American Conference All-Freshman team honoree in Kriegshauser. She tied the EMU single game record with her three doubles against Valparaiso, April 2. The freshman tied all-time doubles leader McKenna Russ' three doubles against IPFW, April 1, 2009, en route to her All-MAC honor. The Green and White also saw six players named to the Academic All-MAC honorable mention list in Gentile's first season.
Upon arrival at EMU, Gentile brought five years of NCAA Division I coaching experience with one year as a head coach at Jacksonville University and four years as an assistant coach at Central Michigan University and EMU. Most recently, she spent the past seven years as the owner/director of Powerline Softball in Clearwater, Fla. In total, shs tutored 28 NCAA all-conference, 18 all-region and numerous high school All-American selections.
As the director of Powerline Softball, Gentile mentored athletes that have gone on to play at more than 30 collegiate softball programs. She was also a featured speaker at numerous coaching and player camps around the country speaking to groups as large as 600.
Prior to opening her own company, Gentile led the Dolphins to a 22-37 record in 2006 as the team’s head coach. Despite narrowly missing the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament, Janine Palumbo earned second team all-conference honors, while Beth Glasscock made the all-freshman team under her guidance.
Gentile, who also served as recruiting coordinator at Eastern Michigan, helped lead the Eagles to their first MAC Tournament appearance since 1999 after posting an 11-12 conference record in 2004. The Eagles also excelled in the classroom by earning National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Team GPA honors after ranking first in the nation with a 3.552 GPA. In her first season, she improved the Eagles’ batting average from last in the conference (.199) to sixth overall (.241) and had two players (Deanna Wisnieski and Nikki Denman) rank among conference leaders in every offensive category.
Prior to coaching at Eastern Michigan, she spent one year as the Director of Softball Operations for the Michigan Sports Academy.
Gentile began her coaching career as an assistant coach at Central Michigan University from 2000-02, where she served as the recruiting coordinator and camp director while also handling fundraising. In three years with the Chippewas, she helped lead the squad to a pair of MAC regular season and tournament championships as well as two NCAA regional appearances. Central Michigan also had 12 All-MAC selections, and five players earned NFCA All-Great Lakes Regional honors.
In her playing career, Gentile was a four-year letterwinner for the University of Michigan and finished her tenure as the career (28) and single-season (13) home run record holder, which was held until 2004. A co-captain in 2000, she earned All-Big Ten, All-Region and All-America honors in 1998 and was the Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Year in 1997.
Gentile participated in two Women’s College World Series at Michigan, placing fifth in both 1997 and 1998 and was named to the Women’s College World Series All-Tournament Team in 1997. Along with the Big Ten Freshmen of the Year honor, Gentile earned second-team All-Big Ten accolades in 1997 as well as first-team All-Big Ten and All-Region accolades as a sophomore.
Gentile also went on to play with the USA Women’s National Team from 1996-2000 and was a member of the USA Pan-American Team in 1997 before graduating from Michigan in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology. She continued her playing career in the Women’s Professional Softball League (now the National Pro Fastpitch League) after being drafted by the Akron Racers in 2000. She also eared her master’s in athletic administration from Central Michigan in 2005.
A native of O’Fallon, Mo., Gentile played softball at Wentzville High School.
Gentile and her wife, Courtney, have four daughters, Hope, Tatum, Bailee, and Addison.
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